Farro bowl with crispy chickpeas, feta, and lemon-oregano dressing

• 150 g farropearled or semi-pearled
• 1 can chickpeas400g can, drained and rinsed
• 3 tbs extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• 1 lemon
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 garlic clovesclove, finely grated
• 150 g english cucumberroughly chopped
• 150 g cherry tomatoeshalved
• 50 g red onionthinly sliced
• 50 g kalamata oliveshalved
• 60 g feta cheesecrumbled

1. 1

   Preheat your oven to 220°C (425°F). While it heats, bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the farro, reduce to a steady simmer, and cook until tender but still chewy, about 12-15 minutes for pearled farro. Drain through a fine mesh strainer and set aside.

   Tip: Start the farro first — it runs in parallel with the chickpeas so everything finishes together.

2. 2

   Drain and rinse the chickpeas, then spread them on a clean kitchen towel and pat very dry — really get in there, the drier they are the crispier they get. Toss them on the sheet pan with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, the smoked paprika, cumin, half the salt, and the black pepper. Spread into a single layer and roast for 15 minutes, shaking the pan halfway through, until the chickpeas are deeply golden and crispy on the outside.

   Tip: Removing loose chickpea skins before roasting gives you even crunchier results. Don't skip the drying step.

3. 3

   While the farro and chickpeas cook, make the lemon-oregano dressing. Squeeze the juice from the lemon (you want about 2 tablespoons) into a small bowl. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the grated garlic, dried oregano, and remaining salt. Whisk with a fork until emulsified. Taste and adjust — it should be bright and punchy.

   Tip: Grating the garlic on a microplane rather than mincing it gives you a smooth dressing without raw garlic chunks.

4. 4

   Prep the vegetables: roughly chop the cucumber, halve the cherry tomatoes, thinly slice the red onion, and halve the kalamata olives. Toss the cucumber, tomatoes, and red onion together with about half the dressing.

5. 5

   Divide the warm farro between two bowls. Spoon the dressed vegetables alongside, scatter the olives over the top, then pile on the crispy chickpeas straight from the oven. Crumble the feta generously over everything and drizzle with the remaining dressing.

   Tip: Add the chickpeas last and right before eating — they lose their crunch as they sit. Leftovers keep well in the fridge for 2 days; just store chickpeas separately and re-crisp in a dry skillet for 2 minutes.

• sheet pan (half-sheet (18x13 inch))
• medium saucepan (2-liter (2-quart))
• fine mesh strainer
• small bowl
• cutting board
• chef's knife

Per serving

Nutritional values are estimates only.